PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Eugene-Springfield, OR

40.9
Life Score / 100
C-
Grade (curved)
#314
of 387 metros
19%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Eugene ranks #314 of 387 US metros, ahead of 19% - carried by its wages (76/100) and held back most by cost of living (16/100).

76
strongest: Wages
76
then: Schools
16
weakest: Cost of Living
7
weighted dimensions

Where Eugene sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

41 19th percentile higher than 19% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). This entry sits in this band. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Above this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Eugene Life Score

Eugene's composite score of 40.9 out of 100, a grade of C-, places the metro at rank #314 of 387, ahead of 19% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Wages (76/100) and Schools (76/100), which pull the composite upward, while Cost of Living (16/100) and Rent (21/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 101.6 (rent-RPP 98.3). BLS median salary $70,223, 150,180 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Home Health and Personal Care Aides). HUD 2BR FMR $1,688/mo (studio $1,223).

FBI UCR (OR): 335 violent, 2410 property/100K. NCES: 17.6:1 ratio, 10.1% charter. DOL infant childcare $12,639/yr. EPA: 21 Superfund sites (OR). Ranks #311-#317 below.

Dimension detail

How Eugene scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 16/100 (20%)
Wages 76/100 (20%)
Rent 21/100 (15%)
Safety 44/100 (15%)
Schools 76/100 (10%)
Childcare 25/100 (10%)
Environment 28/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

101.6
Cost Index (RPP)
$70,223
Avg Median Salary
$1,688
2BR Fair Market Rent
335
Violent Crime/100K (OR)
17.6:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$12,639
Infant Childcare/yr (OR)
21
Superfund Sites (OR)
150,180
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Eugene With...

Eugene vs Salem Compare → Eugene vs Portland Compare → Eugene vs Medford Compare → Eugene vs Wildwood Compare → Eugene vs Waterloo Compare → Eugene vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Eugene outranks 19% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#311 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY 41.0 C-
#312 Stockton-Lodi, CA 41.3 C-
#313 Carson City, NV 41.4 C-
#314 Eugene-Springfield, OR 40.9 C-
#315 Lancaster, PA 40.8 C-
#316 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR 40.8 C-
#317 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA 40.8 C-

OR Metro Scores

Salem, OR C+ 47.6 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA C+ 45.7 Medford, OR C 43.1 Bend, OR C- 41.4 Corvallis, OR C- 40.7 Grants Pass, OR C- 40.3

Using Eugene's Life Score

Eugene is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is wages (76/100) and its weakest is cost of living (16/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Eugene head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Eugene lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Eugene's biggest strengths? ▼
Eugene's strongest dimensions are Wages (76/100), Schools (76/100), Safety (44/100). Wages is top-tier nationally.
What are Eugene's weakest areas? ▼
Eugene's lowest-scoring dimensions are Cost of Living (16/100), Rent (21/100), Childcare (25/100). Cost of Living weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Eugene compared to the national average? ▼
Eugene's Regional Price Parity is 101.6 (1.6% more than national); rent RPP 98.3.
What is the average salary in Eugene? ▼
Eugene median salary: $70,223, 150,180 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Home Health and Personal Care Aides.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Eugene's 40.9/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.